194 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 





EMI 



^C36"Pages7xI0 

 l?o PER YEARj 



But his deliffht is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth 

 he meditate day and night.— Psalm 1: 2. 



This is a good deal of a California number. 



The Canadian Bee Jonrnal is proving to be 

 an excellent journal, and it can not be other- 

 wise, because Bro. Holtermann, its editor, is 

 putting some good hard work on it. 



Bro. York, in the Bee Journal for Feb. 15, 

 joins heartily with Gi-EANiNGS in condemning 

 Hoddon's unreasonable glucose policy. The Old 

 Reliable is not and never was afraid to speak 

 the truth, cut where it may. 



GooLD, Shapley & MuiR Co., the leading 

 supply-dealers in Canada, give the improved 

 self-hiver. modeled after the Pratt, considera- 

 ble prominence in theircatalog. Of it they say: 

 "Careful tests last year go to show that the 

 self-hiver will be of great benefit." Whatever 

 we may say of the non-swarmer, the automatic 

 hiver in some form, we believe, has come 

 to stay. ^ 



The reports show, from the heavy mails we 

 are receiving almost daily, that the bees are 

 wintering so far remarkably well. Of course, 

 it is not so difficult to winter bees as to spring 

 them. But when the bees come out of the win- 

 ter in good strong healthy condition they are 

 able to stand a hard spring very much better. 

 A year ago, it will be remembered, there were 

 very heavy losses, even up to this time. 



It seems as if we never had so great an 

 amount of acceptable matter awaiting its turn 

 to go into Gleanings as now. Some of it we 

 would gladly use, but we are afraid it will be 

 out of date, and lack interest, when its turn 

 comes; we hope, also, that none of our friends 

 will feel badly to see their communications lop- 

 ped off at both ends. A suggestion:— Don't 

 start out with any apology for writing, nor give 

 any thing, in fact, except what will contain 

 some information. Plunge into the subject 

 with the fewest and choicest words you can 

 command. 



It is with much surprise and regret that we 

 learn of the death of W. J. Ellison, of Catchall, 

 S. C. He was one of the leading queen-breed- 

 ers of the country, and in years gone by he fur- 

 nished us hundreds of queens. He became a 

 subscriber to (ii.KANTNos when it first started, 

 and remained with us up to the time of his 

 death. He was a bee-keeper of considerable 

 note, and. while not a prolific writer, he wrote 

 occasionally for the journals. We learn from a 



local i)aper that he was a man of intelligence 

 and education, and a highly respected member 

 of the Episcopal Church. He had been sick for 

 some time, but bore his sufferings with forti- 

 tude and resignation. 



Advices from all quarters show that hard 

 times are having a depressing effect on the hon- 

 ey market. Some of the finest honey in the 

 world is now bogging for a customer. The 

 thousands of working-men now idle every- 

 where have no money to buy this most whole- 

 some of all sweets, and it is this class of people 

 who are the largest consumers. When the fac- 

 tories start up, as some of them are beginning 

 to do, and their employes have paid their hon- 

 est debts, the demand will pick up. While we 

 do not propose to enter into a political discus- 

 sion, it is patent to all that something or some- 

 body is responsible for this state of affairs. 

 Now, don't go and write us a long political 

 dissertation on your theory, or that of any par- 

 ty, as to the causes; such things should be dis- 

 cussed in political papers. 



We now have in neat book form (16 large 

 pages), as we promised, our Symposium on 

 Bees and Fruit. We shall be glad to distribute 

 these at the nominal price of one cent a copy; 

 50 copies for40cts. ; 100 copies, 75 cts. Postage 

 will be respectively 1, 13, and 50 cts. As a good 

 many individual bee-keepers are ordering goods 

 by freight and express, there will be an oppor- 

 tunity to get some valuable matter, free of 

 transportation charges, at an insignificant cost. 

 Believing also that these pamphlets will do 

 great good in breaking down ignorant preju- 

 dice, we will send, free of charge, 100 copies to 

 every bee-keepers', horticulturists', or fruit- 

 growers' association in the country, provided 

 the secretaries will ask for them and pay post- 

 age. We hope our readers, and especially bee- 

 keepers' associations, will help on in the good 

 work. 



Regarding the representations from the 

 Standard Oil Co. (see p. 153). to the effect that 

 we were using paraffine to make foundation, 

 we have this day received a letter, under date 

 of Feb. 17, very handsomely withdrawing the 

 charge, and they promise to correct their Cana- 

 dian agent, Mr. Schumacher. In conclusion 

 they say: "We are more than glad to beset 

 right in the whole matter, and to know what 

 the facts are." 



Later. — Since writing the above we have re- 

 ceived a letter from Dadant i<: Son, denying 

 most emphatically the indirect imputation that 

 they were using paraffine in making foundation. 

 It seems almost unnecessary, as they say, for 

 them to make any such statement— or, in fact, 

 any foundation-maker in good standing in this 

 country. 



We have again heard from E. L. Goold tt Co. 

 in reply to ours sending them a letter from the 



